


Under The Stars

by GreyHaven



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Cowboy AU, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Smut, it's mostly smut though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 19:00:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11950614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyHaven/pseuds/GreyHaven
Summary: Nathan and Duke are modern-day cowboys, out herding some cattle.  With a long night ahead of them, what else is there to do?





	Under The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to SweetSynergy for patient beta reading and hand holding once again. This wouldn't have been finished (or posted) without you <3

Nathan felt himself flying through the air.  He had just enough time to think ‘this is gonna hurt’ before he landed face first on the ground with a heavy thud.  Immediately spitting out a mouthful of dirt, he tentatively tested each limb for injuries.  Finding nothing more severe than his wounded pride, he sprang to his feet and looked around for his horse, muttering curse words under his breath.

Duke cantered easily across the dusty plain, holding the smooth leather reins of Nathan's horse in his spare hand, the gelding obstinately trailing along behind him with his ears back.  Pulling up to a halt in front of Nathan, Duke casually leaned his arm on the horn of his saddle and smirked down at him.  

"How'd you manage that?"  He asked, with a laugh in his voice.

"Bastard threw me," Nathan grunted as he took the reins from Duke.  He muttered a word of thanks before he effortlessly sprang back into the saddle, a small part of him hoping he wasn’t about to be sent soaring through the air again.

"Wouldn't've if you could actually ride," Duke snarked at him.

"Ride just as well as you do," Nathan scowled back.  "Tequila's just being a dick."

Once he’d settled himself back into the saddle, he prodded the bay gelding with his heels, prompting Tequila to try to turn himself into a bucking bronco again.  By leaning backwards and gripping with his thighs, Nathan managed to keep his seat this time.  It was a close call and Nathan growled and swore at him, kicking him forwards in the direction of the cattle they were supposed to be herding.

"Should've got yourself a nice mare then," Duke laughed.  "Like Penny here.”

"Whatever," Nathan snorted.  "She's decked you more often than you've had hot dinners."

"Don’t listen to him, Penny," Duke said to his horse, leaning forwards to pat her chestnut neck.  Nathan  _ might _ have had a point, she wasn't always the easiest mare to handle but they got along well enough.  Most days.  

“C’mon,” he said to Nathan.  “Let’s get these cattle over the ridge and down to the river.  We can set up camp there for the night.”

Nathan nodded his agreement.  He steered Tequila to the back of the small herd of cattle, pressing them forwards while Duke maneuvered Penny to keep them all heading in the right direction.  It was hot, thirsty, work and they were grateful that the herding only took them another couple of hours.  They were soon watering the animals at a shallow, shady, spot by the river where Nathan took charge of setting up the tent and campfire while Duke saw to the horses, removing their saddles and bridles, and using their halters to tether them to a tree.

“I’m going for a dip,” Duke announced when he’d finished.  “You coming?”  

He started to peel off his white undershirt, grimacing slightly as he realised just how dusty it was.  Payback for having taken his shirt off earlier, he thought.  That and the sunburn on his shoulders.  Maybe it hadn’t been one of his better ideas but at least he hadn’t got quite so hot in the summer sun.

“Yeah,” Nathan mumbled, trying very hard to not look at Duke undressing.  “Be over in a minute.  Gonna get this fire going first.”

Despite his best efforts, Nathan couldn’t resist getting a glimpse of Duke’s naked form as he walked towards the river and dived into the cool water.  Not that it was the first time he’d seen Duke unclothed.  Actually, it was a surprisingly regular occurrence, now that he came to think of it, but it  _ was _ the first time since Duke had kissed him.

That kiss had been...odd.  Not unpleasant, not unwelcome, but...unusual.  Confusing.  Nathan still wasn’t sure how drunk Duke had been.  He’d been celebrating his win at the rodeo and there had definitely been  _ a lot _ of alcohol consumed.  Now that he came to think of it, Nathan wasn’t entirely sure how drunk  _ he’d _ been either.  So the kiss had happened and neither of them had mentioned it since.  And now Duke was naked and expecting Nathan to join him in the water.

Realising he couldn’t refuse without it being weird, Nathan got the fire started with a flick of his lighter and watched as the flames took hold.  He kept his back to Duke as he unbuttoned his plaid shirt and tossed it into the tent, his jeans following shortly after.  His boxers stayed on as he hurried down to the water.  Wanting to cover his near-nakedness, he ducked down as soon as the water was deep enough.  

Duke swam over to him.  “Anyone’d think you were shy or something, Nate,” he grinned.

“Can’t all be an exhibitionist like you,” Nathan scowled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Duke laughed.  “Still haven’t forgotten that night you stripped off in the bar.  How much had you drunk that night?”

“A lot,” Nathan admitted, grinning ruefully.  “Don’t know what got into me.”

“Most of a bottle of JD?”  Duke suggested.

“Probably,” Nathan laughed.  “What’d you bring for dinner?”

“Chilli,” Duke told him.  “Made it up the other day, just needs to be heated through.  Also, campfire bread and marshmallows for afters,” he explained.  “Know what you and your sweet tooth are like.”

“Sounds good,” Nathan said appreciatively.

“Yeah,” Duke agreed.  “Better get it going or it’ll be midnight before we eat.”

With that, he strode out of the water.  His back was to the river and Nathan was free to admire the way the late evening sun glistened off his damp skin.  He almost  _ gleamed _ in the golden light and Nathan watched as Duke dried off and pulled his clothes back on.  As soon as he was certain Duke’s attention was occupied with making dinner, Nathan emerged from the river and scurried back to privacy of the tent.

Duke caught a glimpse of him dashing past and shook his head, amused.  He carried on cooking dinner while he waited for Nathan to get dried and dressed.

“You know it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Duke pointed out when he appeared again, noting that Nathan didn’t seem to be much less embarrassed even now he was fully clothed.

Nathan glared back at him.  “Yeah, but not since…” He trailed off.

“Since I kissed you?”

Glowing bright red, Nathan nodded.

“Doesn’t have to mean anything, Nate,” Duke pointed out.  “Unless you want it to.”

“Ok,” Nathan replied, passing Duke a beer.

“Thanks,” Duke replied as he took it.  “Do you want it to?”

“What?”

“The kiss, Nathan,” Duke laughed.  “Do you want it to mean anything?”

If it was possible, Nathan went a deeper shade of red.  “Oh.  I don’t know.”

Duke nodded.  “Because I like you and if you  _ don’t _ want it to mean anything, then I won’t mention it again, but if you do…”  He left the thought unsaid.

“Kinda like you too,” Nathan mumbled.

“Kinda?  Well that’s the best compliment I’ve ever had,” Duke teased.

“Shut up.  You know I’m useless at this shit.”

“Yeah,” Duke agreed.  “You are pretty useless at this shit.”  He turned his attention back to the food, stirring the chilli and turning the bread so it didn’t burn.

Nathan sat on a blanket.  He swigged his beer and tried to wrangle his thoughts into order.  Because he’d always  _ kinda liked _ Duke, he just never thought that  _ Duke _ could like  _ him _ \- it was new information and his brain struggled to process it.  He inwardly cursed the fact that he’d only brought beer on this trip because a bottle of whisky would go down really well right about now.

After they’d eaten, Duke passed Nathan a stick with marshmallows threaded on it and they sat companionably by the fire, waiting patiently for the marshmallows to turn brown and gooey.  It was nice, Duke thought.  Relaxing.  At least it was until Nathan got impatient and stuck his marshmallows into the flames in an attempt to toast them more quickly.

“That’s…”  Duke started to say, trailing off as the marshmallows inevitably caught fire.  “Not a good idea,” he finished, laughing.

“Not one of my better ones, was it?”  Nathan laughed along with him for a moment before he turned serious.  “Maybe this will be…”  

Taking a deep breath, he summoned up every ounce of courage he possessed and dropped his stick, marshmallows and all, into the fire.  He turned to face Duke.  His fingers went to Duke’s jaw, pressing lightly, encouraging him to look at him.

Duke let out a surprised noise as Nathan kissed him, lips pressed together for a single heartbeat before Nathan pulled back.

“Sorry, was that not ok?”  Nathan asked, his face glowing red.

After pitching his own marshmallow stick into the fire, Duke reached out for him.  

“It was very ok,” he told Nathan, his mouth curling into a half smile as his fingers closed around Nathan’s wrist.  Nathan’s pulse was already racing under his touch.  It sped up as Duke leaned in to kiss him.

Nathan’s breath caught in his throat as Duke kissed him slowly, insistently,  _ thoroughly _ .  His hand tentatively went to Duke’s hair, stroking softly.  When Duke didn’t pull away, he gently slid the tie off his hair and combed his fingers through the soft strands, enjoying the silky feel.

Duke let his tongue wander into Nathan’s open mouth.  Exploring.  Tasting.  His hand moved to cup the back of Nathan’s neck, holding him close and a soft whine of pleasure escaped from Nathan as their tongues met.  He leaned into Duke, seeking more contact.

“Nate,  _ are you sure _ ?”   Duke asked, breathlessly, breaking the kiss.  He needed to check, to be certain.  “Because I  _ want you _ and if we keep kissing, this is only gonna end one way.”

His eyes cast to the ground, Nathan hesitated.  “...Yeah, I’m sure,” he said uncertainly.  “I mean...I don’t…”  He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated with himself.  With his inability to  _ talk _ about this stuff.  He sat up straight again and turned to Duke.  “I don’t have much experience with guys.  Some, yeah, but not much.  Not as much as you,” he smiled awkwardly.

“That’s a hell of an assumption to make,” Duke laughed.  “But you’re probably right.”  He placed a steadying hand on Nathan’s shoulder.  “It’s fine, it’ll be good.  I don’t mind talking you through what I like and don’t like,” he reassured.  “Just as long as you’re sure it’s what you want.  So.  I’ll ask again.  Is it?”

If ever there was a time for actions instead of words, now was it, Nathan thought.  He grinned and launched himself enthusiastically at Duke, catching him off guard and pushing him backwards onto the blanket, covering Duke’s body with his own.  He kissed him.  Tentatively at first, then, as Duke kissed back, hard and rough and full of passion.

“That answer your question?”  He smirked after he’d pulled away.

Moving quickly, forcefully, Duke pushed Nathan back, flipping them over so that Nathan landed on his back with a thud and a soft grunt as the air was knocked out of him.  Duke leaned down, pressing him further into the solid ground as he returned the kiss.

“Pretty much, yeah,” he grinned when he stopped kissing and sat up.

Drawing confidence from Duke’s response, Nathan reached up and pulled him down for another hungry kiss.  His fingers played across Duke’s ribs, dipping beneath his undershirt and impatiently tugging to pull it over his head.  Duke leaned back, allowing Nathan to remove it before he swiftly unbuttoned Nathan’s shirt, helping Nathan to wriggle out of it so he could run his hands over Nathan’s chest, feeling the warm skin under his palms.  He leaned down to kiss Nathan’s neck, delighting in the soft whine that Nathan made as his teeth nipped at the sensitive skin.

Reacting to the almost-pain of teeth on his neck, Nathan’s fingers dug into Duke’s back, the muscles rippling under his touch as Duke moved.  He thrust his hips up as Duke’s lips found  _ that spot _ on his neck, the one that always made him melt.

Noticing Nathan’s reaction, Duke did it again.  And again.  He didn’t stop until Nathan was breathless and writhing beneath him.  Only then did he stop and sit up, drinking in the expression on Nathan’s face.  His eyes were dark, his lips parted, as he gazed up at Duke.  His arousal overtaking his awkward shyness, Nathan’s hands went to Duke’s belt, eagerly pulling at the buckle, then the fly on his jeans.  

Taking the hint, Duke stood up and kicked his jeans off, gasping when Nathan launched a surprise attack and pushed him to the ground.  Nathan knelt astride Duke and kissed him hard, his hands running down Duke’s ribs and coming to rest at his hips.  His lips trailed Duke’s jawline before his teeth found Duke’s pulse point and nipped.  Hard.  

Duke yelped in surprise but threw his head back so Nathan could do it again.  His hands ran down Nathan’s denim-clad thighs, toned and strong from years of riding, digging his fingers in so Nathan could feel him through the thick material.  “Take ‘em off,” he murmured.

Grinning, Nathan obliged, kicking off his jeans and boxers in one smooth movement.  “Better?”  He asked.

“Much,” Duke said, his eyes full of hungry passion as he grabbed to pull Nathan back down on top of him.

Nathan yielded eagerly, half-falling on top of Duke, pinning him to the blanket as they kissed once more.  

Duke took a sharp intake of breath as Nathan’s hardness pressed against his thigh.  “You do like me then,” he smirked.

“That obvious?”  Nathan murmured, rolling off so he could run his hand across Duke’s chest and down the hard muscles of his torso.  He followed the movement of his hand with his lips, dropping soft kisses onto the solid muscles as his hand slipped to Duke’s already hard cock.  Nathan smiled as Duke let out a soft gasp and arched his back, pushing into the contact.  Duke’s eyes were full of pure  _ want _ and Nathan threw caution to the wind.  He replaced his hand with his mouth.

As the soft, wet, heat of Nathan’s mouth encased him, Duke’s hands clenched into fists, his fingers curling into the blanket.  His legs fell open as Nathan’s hand worked insistently between them, caressing his heavy sac and dipping to brush the sensitive spot just behind and he let out a quiet moan as Nathan started to suck.

“Fuck, Nate,” he breathed.  “That’s so fucking good.”

“Mm-hmm,” Nathan mumbled around Duke’s cock, still a little unsure of himself but emboldened by Duke’s reactions to everything he did.

Lost in the sensations of Nathan’s lips, tongue, the heat of his mouth, Duke tried to keep still, finding it impossible when Nathan dipped his head lower, working Duke’s cock deeper into his mouth.  He twisted his hand into Nathan’s hair, gently showing Nathan his rhythm.  Nathan’s fingers were firm around his cock, his lips and mouth providing suction and it wasn’t long before Duke was moaning and gasping under his touch.  

He pulled Nathan’s head away from him.  “Gonna come,” he growled.

Nathan re-doubled his efforts with his hand, running from the tip to the base, adding in a little twist which made Duke curse.  

“Faster,”  Duke whined.

Nathan obliged, moving faster, gripping harder, until Duke came with a deep moan of satisfaction.

As Duke basked in the afterglow, Nathan rested his hand on his chest, maintaining the contact while he came down.  As soon as Duke regained his senses, he pushed Nathan onto his back, smirking down at him.  

“Thought you said you didn’t have much experience,” Duke said teasingly.

“I don’t.  Was it ok?”  Nathan asked hesitantly, embarrassed and worried that he might have done something wrong.

“You are joking, right?”

Nathan shrugged and turned his face away.  “No,” he answered.

“Nate,” Duke said softly, gently turning Nathan’s face back towards him for a brief, gentle kiss.  “It was better than ok,” he added, reassuring as he nuzzled affectionately into Nathan’s hair.  “Your turn now,” he grinned.  “If that’s what you want…?”

Nathan nodded and murmured his affirmative.  He wriggled his shoulders into the blanket, willing himself to relax as Duke’s hand moved from his face to his thigh. His touch was warm, calloused, surprisingly tender, and Nathan cried out as Duke’s thumb brushed over the sensitive head of his cock.

“Someone’s impatient,” Duke laughed.

“Someone’s being a tease,” Nathan complained.

“Maybe,” Duke conceded, dipping his head to plant a kiss on Nathan’s hip, making him whine impatiently.

“Duke,” Nathan said, desperately, almost pleadingly, arousal overtaking any embarrassment he might have felt.  “Get on with it.”

“With what, Nate?  What do you want?”  Duke knew the answer, he just wanted to hear Nathan  _ say it _ .

Nathan’s face blushed a deep red and he closed his eyes.  “Fuck,” he whispered.  “Touch me.  Your hand, your mouth, I don’t care, just something.  I need you.”  The words fell from his lips, cutting off with a sharp gasp as Duke obliged and took him into his mouth.

“Jesus, you are so fucking good at that,” Nathan whined as Duke hollowed his cheeks around him and slowly started to move his head.

Duke delighted in the soft noises he made in response and started to move faster, building Nathan’s arousal.

Nathan fought to keep still.  He wanted to relax, to enjoy what Duke was doing to him but it was  _ so fucking hot _ and his hips moved, pushing him deeper into Duke’s mouth.  Duke’s hands went to his thighs, gripping, holding him steady, silently telling him “let me do this”.

“Gonna come if you keep that up,” he panted.

Duke paused just long enough to speak.  “Thought that was the general idea,” he said, taking Nathan back into his mouth.

Nathan groaned, lost in the sensations once again.  The heat and pressure grew inside him and he pushed at Duke’s shoulders, warning him he was close.

Ignoring him, Duke redoubled his efforts until the taste of  _ Nathan _ exploded onto his tongue.  He ran a hand across his lips and smiled.  “Good?”  He smirked.

Nathan relaxed bonelessly into the blanket.  “Good,” he grinned happily.

Duke sank down onto the blanket beside Nathan and wrapped the free end around them both.  He pressed a kiss to Nathan’s cheek and threw an arm around his waist, smiling as Nathan moved towards him, neatly folding himself up into Duke’s arms.  Nathan pressed his face into Duke’s shoulder and squeezed him tightly.

“Never thought this would be possible,” he murmured.

“Me neither,” Duke grinned.  “We should do it again sometime.”

“Definitely taking you up on that,” Nathan smiled.

“Good,” Duke whispered, holding Nathan tighter still.  “Kinda never want to let you go,” he added, chewing his lip, worried he might have overstepped.

“Kinda don’t want you to,” Nathan whispered back.

“Then I won’t,” Duke murmured.

Nathan responded by tucking himself closer in to Duke and wrapping his arms more firmly around him, silently saying that he wasn’t letting go either.  

They slept that way, under the stars, limbs entangled even in sleep, the fire and blankets keeping them warm, until the first rays of the sun woke them early the next morning.


End file.
